The Tesla Takedown protests began in February 2025, shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump, who was flanked by tech billionaires Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai. But the Musk/Trump alliance became apparent earlier than that at an election victory party where the Tesla CEO sieg-heiled on stage. Soon after the inauguration, Musk wasted no time ingratiating himself and planting his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a taskforce created by Donald Trump after Elon Musk floated the idea in an interview with the president-elect.

March ushers in an exciting moment for Washington filmmakers and cinephiles alike as Emergence Films closes applications (and vets participants) for their debut Emerging Filmmakers Program. This is an opportunity for women filmmakers of all backgrounds to gain career experience and guidance from co-founders Sienna Beckman and Rachel Noll James, who collectively have decades of professional experience with credits ranging from independent darlings to entertainment giants like HBO. The program is open to any woman 18 years or older who resides in the state of Washington.

Founded in 1997, The Grand Cinema has been Tacoma and Pierce County's destination for independent, foreign, and repertory films. This four screen theater is a non-profit cared for and kept up by tremendous and tireless volunteers. Thanks to the generous donors who have already contributed to the Save the Grand campaign, The Grand hopes to purchase The Merlino Arts building in which it resides.

Photo by Stanislav

The annual comics celebration Emerald City Comic Con is a great time to discover local shops that carry books by the incredible artists you met at the show. 

Here are five shops from across the Puget Sound region that will serve all of your geeky needs. These are by no means the only shops to go to, but have made a particular impression on a comic lover like me.

Imagine a free seat at a fine dining restaurant where each dish goes beyond flavor, offering a unique connection to Filipino culture and community—this is Archipelago. Archipelago is a minority, family, and women-owned Filipino American restaurant that creates delightful tasting menu experiences through culinary excellence and inspiring stories. The restaurant’s attention to detail is evident from the uniquely shaped and beautifully sculpted dishware to the intricate placement of each ingredient highlighted in every bite. Each guest is intimately around the dinner table like warm-hearted friends and family.

Three art pieces came to the Seattle Center and are here until the cherry blossoms bloom this April. The Seattle Center, in collaboration with The Office of Arts and Culture, commissioned three public pieces for a short-term display on their campus: two sculptures and one hung banner. 

The theater is a triplex with the largest of its three screens on the street level. The lobby is adorned with history. Photos of the original iterations of the theater line the wall with a look at what the demolition and reconstruction process was like for the theater in 1998. Within the lobby there’s a classic snack bar with everything a movie goer needs. Above your head, notice the unique glass lighting fixtures that look like jellyfish, which complements the theater's maritime theme, more evidence of which is scattered throughout the space. 

Returning this month is Noir City, a film festival dedicated to all things seedy, nefarious, and tantalizing in the world of crime. As the weather stays frightful, it is a great time to watch hardboiled detectives, cruel gangsters, and the women who love them in glorious black and white celluloid with a few hundred fellow genre admirers. This year's edition of Noir City highlights films "where winsome women turn wicked.”

I feel fear. I know what it is like to have every aspect of your identity under threat. To realize every day you live that the world you know was specifically designed against your best interest—against the interest of most with the exception of the few in power. Hate is not sustainable, but it’s easier to turn fear into hate rather than love. It’s challenging to see this all take place and not be overwhelmed with fear. 

To keep a level head, it is important to be prepared. We don’t know what the future has in store, but there are basic things that you can do to increase the safety of your loved ones.

With the historic November election still visible in our rear view mirrors, Seattle voters will be taking to their ballots again in just a few weeks’ time for the February 11, 2025, special election. Among their bubbles will be a voter initiative regarding social housing—this time to fund it. The initiative will appear on the ballot as Prop 1A, but will compete against a City Council alternative called Prop 1B, currently being backed by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

A year marked by breathtaking Puget Sound aurora borealis visits may be behind us, but the work of Ballard-based multimedia artist Ginny Ruffner immortalizes the phenomenon with Project Aurora—a newly permanent exhibit at the National Nordic Museum. The medium of LED lights guided by programmed microprocessors towers over the entrance lobby of the museum thanks to support from the Kongsgaard Goldman Family.

“There’s Trolls in them thar hills!”

The Trolls of which I speak are, of course, the much talked about sculptures brought to the Pacific Northwest (and beyond) through a unique collaboration between Danish recycle artist and activist Thomas Dambo, Scan Design Foundation, and several Coast Salish tribes—especially members from Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie.

Who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of buying something for yourself or someone you love? Finding the perfect “thing” can be fun, and even life-changing. But if you aren’t careful, the feel-good chemicals generated when shopping—adrenaline and dopamine—can make the activity addicting.

Keen-eyed (read Chronically Online) Seattle Artists know that something has been up lately at 18th & Union, the beloved Central District arts space.

I sat down with marketing director, Jazz Flora, for an exclusive inside scoop:

And Seattle happens to be home to one of the most coveted LGBTQ+ places: the city’s first, and only, lesbian bar—The Wildrose. Located in Capitol Hill, Wildrose opened on New Year’s Eve in 1984 and still remains open today. I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the owners, Martha Manning. We delved into topics ranging from troubles staying open during COVID to what the Wildrose means to lesbians today.

The SAM VSO Union consists of a group of 54 Visitor Service Officers, or VSOs. On Black Friday, they started their strike. Strikes are typically one of the last options a union will exercise to make clear to their employer and the general public that their working conditions are unacceptable and their concerns up until this point have been largely ignored. Before the formation of the SAM VSO Union, there were a series of escalations in organized action against Seattle Art Museum (SAM) leadership and policies.

Shoes & Pants Productions and Theatre Off Jackson presents the return of their LGBTQ+ holiday show, Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas! Co-written by the talented Freddy Molitch and Shott Shoemaker, this variety show promises to bring a little cheer to those of us who feel outcasted by the Xmas season. With a self-proclaimed group of “queerdos,” you can surely expect a warm and inclusive welcome as Scott Shoemaker explores various holiday traditions with a new—and sometimes naughty—eye.

Whether banning or restricting gender-affirming care for transgender minors and adults, banning or restricting transgender people from using public restrooms that align with their gender identity, or stopping trans athletes from joining sports teams, transgender youth and adults are facing an uphill battle to equal rights. Now, post-election, the possibility of facing more anti-trans legislation under the Trump administration has become a very real threat to transgender individuals all over the country. 

Meghan Trainor’s work has always had spiritual connections. With a practice firmly rooted in her own ancestral Irish Catholic imagery and iconography in her early art-making days, Trainor found new inspiration via Mexican folk art when she was exposed to the work of Frida Kahlo and later from a nearby shop when she worked at Pike Place Market in the 1990s. Importantly, a 1980s show at Seattle Art Museum about African spiritual objects left a significant impression.

Shelly’s Leg (1973-1977) was Seattle’s first openly gay bar and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. The popular nightclub got its start in a rather unique way. Shelly Bauman, the founder of Shelly’s Leg, lost her left leg in a parade accident in the early ‘70s. She used the money from her settlement to open the nightclub in 1973. Bauman chose to create something that was groundbreaking for its time. Her decision to open the club was about more than just business; it was about creating a community.